# What could this place I found on Google Maps be? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 19, 2017, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-this-place-i-found-on-google-maps-be/794035 "2017-08-19T03:09:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-this-place-i-found-on-google-maps-be/794035/1 "2017-08-19T03:09:45Z")
I was looking at the maps for the area around where I live and I found [this.](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Mock+City,+WA+98597/@46.9833533,-122.5907879,293m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x54911194349360e3:0x8fb5163febdba061!8m2!3d46.9831533!4d-122.5887364) It’s a place Google identifies as “Mock City”. It consists of slightly over a dozen almost-identical-looking houses connected by unpaved roads. It’s clearly uninhabited - there are no cars or outdoor decorations, though there’s evidence of tire tracks. There are power lines, but it’s hard to tell whether the houses are connected to them. The buildings don’t look especially dilapidated, but it’s hard to tell whether there’s glass in the windows and at least one appears to have its door hanging open. One building looks like it has a steeple. It appears to be connected by some unpaved roads to an unnamed farm road which does have light traffic and populated homes on it, and to the south there’s a place that looks like it was intended to be a river crossing, but no bridge. I can’t seem to find anything about it on Google - all the results are just procedurally generated pages from various wikis and ad sites with no information about the history of the place or why it’s there. I wonder - when was it built? What was it built for? Why does it have a name if nobody lives there? Did anybody _ever_ live there? Why no information about it? I suppose I could try a little rural explanation and go there myself, but on the off-chance that it’s infested with dangerous animals or squatters I figured I’d try to poke around on here first. Anyone from WA ever heard of this place? Has anyone elsewhere heard of a similar place? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Niply\_Elder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@The\_Niply\_Elder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Niply_Elder)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-this-place-i-found-on-google-maps-be/794035/2 "2017-08-19T03:20:08Z")
according to the google results, a bunch of bots must live there. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-this-place-i-found-on-google-maps-be/794035/3 "2017-08-19T03:23:35Z")
I can’t make heads or tails of topo maps, but if [this image](http://blog.timshome.com/mock-city-washington) holds up to the topography of the place in question, I think we’ve found our winner. The image suggests it was a military training facility, perhaps for urban warfare training. And indeed, Joint Base Lewis-McChord is 35miles away. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-this-place-i-found-on-google-maps-be/794035/4 "2017-08-19T03:28:22Z")
> **[Mock, Washington](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mock,_Washington)** > > Mock is an extinct town in Spokane County, in the U.S. state of Washington. The GNIS classifies it as a populated place. > The community was named after W. C. Mock, a railroad official. > The town was located along the defunct Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway, the right-of-way of which is now the publicly accessible Columbia Plateau Trail. The site is located in the Channeled Scablands about eight miles southwest of Cheney and just outside the eastern edge of Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge.... > **[Origin of Washington geographic names, by Edmond S. Meany ...](https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015027074981%3Bview=1up%3Bseq=184)** > > Origin of Washington geographic names, by Edmond S. Meany ... ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-this-place-i-found-on-google-maps-be/794035/5 "2017-08-19T03:28:56Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > [Mock, Washington - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mock,_Washington) > [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015027074981;view=1up;seq=184](https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015027074981;view=1up;seq=184) That’s the wrong place. This is in Pierce county, other side of the state. > [@HeyHomie](#): > > I can’t make heads or tails of topo maps, but if [this image](http://blog.timshome.com/mock-city-washington) holds up to the topography of the place in question, I think we’ve found our winner. The image suggests it was a military training facility, perhaps for urban warfare training. > > And indeed, Joint Base Lewis-McChord is 35miles away. Makes sense. I wonder why they’d build it off-base though when there’s so much space on the base itself. If it was built for training, I wonder how long ago it was? I mean, most of the fighting the Army does these days isn’t in small villages with church steeples. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-this-place-i-found-on-google-maps-be/794035/6 "2017-08-19T03:30:56Z")
Perhaps a training area for fire or police departments. Or perhaps a training area for Joint Base Lewis-McChord, which is in that area. ETA: ninja’d ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-this-place-i-found-on-google-maps-be/794035/7 "2017-08-19T03:33:35Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > [Mock, Washington - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mock,_Washington) > [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015027074981;view=1up;seq=184](https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015027074981;view=1up;seq=184) That’s a different place altogether. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-this-place-i-found-on-google-maps-be/794035/8 "2017-08-19T03:41:22Z")
It has three obvious helicopter landing zones and both clear fields of fire (to the north) and good avenues of approach (from the east and west). Note the place for buses and heavy vehicles to park and turn around. It is a training area, probably for the military or perhaps the police. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-this-place-i-found-on-google-maps-be/794035/9 "2017-08-19T03:45:19Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > That’s a different place altogether. That’s a different place. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-this-place-i-found-on-google-maps-be/794035/10 "2017-08-19T03:48:59Z")
I was thinking it could be _[The Village](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Village_(2004_film))_. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-this-place-i-found-on-google-maps-be/794035/11 "2017-08-19T03:56:02Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > That’s a different place. I believe there’s a slight chance that is a different place. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-this-place-i-found-on-google-maps-be/794035/12 "2017-08-19T04:12:00Z")
Definitely a military training area. Just to the northwest are open fields that are almost certainly firing ranges. If you head west, there’s a small bridge over the river and following that road further west leads to an actual road, where the intersection is signed “Caution: Military vehicle crossing ahead.” ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-this-place-i-found-on-google-maps-be/794035/13 "2017-08-19T04:19:12Z")
And I just found with Street View a sign on a fence a bit to the east saying Keep Out: Joint Base Lewis McChord [Link](https://www.google.com/maps/@47.0019274,-122.5563609,3a,48.3y,12.13h,77.95t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sQIOQL2idDZVopT9m1w30mQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656) ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-this-place-i-found-on-google-maps-be/794035/14 "2017-08-19T04:29:06Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > I believe there’s a slight chance that is a different place. But it’s the same old place. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-this-place-i-found-on-google-maps-be/794035/15 "2017-08-19T04:29:51Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > And I just found with Street View a sign on a fence a bit to the east saying Keep Out: Joint Base Lewis McChord > > [Link](https://www.google.com/maps/@47.0019274,-122.5563609,3a,48.3y,12.13h,77.95t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sQIOQL2idDZVopT9m1w30mQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656) That’s the perimeter of the base, yes. Mock City is south of that, though, which is the part that bewilders me. I can’t find any Street Views close to the place itself, so I can’t tell if it’s off-limits or not. I did discover a field to the southeast with a bunch of porta-potties in it, which I guess could be for the trainees’ use. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-this-place-i-found-on-google-maps-be/794035/16 "2017-08-19T04:32:26Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > Definitely a military training area. Just to the northwest are open fields that are almost certainly firing ranges. If you head west, there’s a small bridge over the river and following that road further west leads to an actual road, where the intersection is signed “Caution: Military vehicle crossing ahead.” Looks like the bridge is a tank crossing, so I guess they must be doing some off-base training after all. Didn’t recognize the firing ranges - I was wondering what those were. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-this-place-i-found-on-google-maps-be/794035/17 "2017-08-19T04:58:34Z")
Leschi Town - Complete fake city used for urban military training See > **[Leschi Town - Complete fake city used for urban military training in Fort...](https://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/leschi-town-complete-fake-city-used-for-urban-military-training/)** > > This is one of the most extensive US MOUT facilities I've seen. It has a hospital, school, residential neighborhood, farm, and shops. Unlike many other new MOUT facilities which seem to be built to simulate third world conditions and construction... ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-this-place-i-found-on-google-maps-be/794035/18 "2017-08-19T05:37:03Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > That’s the perimeter of the base, yes. Mock City is south of that, though, which is the part that bewilders me. The civilians were told to settle south of the Nisqually by The Hudson Bay company, and so they settled Yelm. That seems to have held out until now hasn’t it ? In 1986, a further expansion was initiated, and in 1992, the Army acquired additional land to enlarge YTC to 327,000 acres (1,320 km2). The Multi-Purpose Range Complex opened in 1989, and the Shoot House and Urban Assault Course opened in 2005. YTC has an AAFES shoppette, a recreation center and a gymnasium available to soldiers and their families. The Firing Point community club, with cafeteria, opened in February 2009.[1] Seems going off maps is misleading, because in 1986 the base expanded. Have a look at the roads, there’s no road into the “mock city” of Leschie Town ( the UAC ) without going through the old base lands… and the MPRC … and Yakima TC. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-this-place-i-found-on-google-maps-be/794035/19 "2017-08-19T06:33:34Z")
> [@Isilder](#): > > Leschi Town - Complete fake city used for urban military training > See > [Leschi Town - Complete fake city used for urban military training in Fort Lewis, WA - Virtual Globetrotting](http://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/leschi-town-complete-fake-city-used-for-urban-military-training/) That’s definitely not the same as Mock City. It’s much larger. Upon zooming out, it appears to be a few miles to the northeast. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-this-place-i-found-on-google-maps-be/794035/20 "2017-08-19T06:41:45Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > That’s a different place. Surely it’s the same place. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-this-place-i-found-on-google-maps-be/794035.md?page=2)